DR. CHADWICK

I was delivered into this world by Dr. Chadwick.  My parents must have respected him, since they gave me my middle name, Eugene, in his honor!  I don't know how the relationship formed, but my Dad did odd jobs for Dr. Chadwick and his wife.

They lived in a beautiful colonial-style home across the street from the Beaver County Country Club.  They owned the equivalent of four lots in this exclusive residential area.  Every spring, my Dad would assemble their outdoor awning;  then every fall take it down and pack it away.

I think my brother, Ira, worked for the Chadwick's.  At the age of eleven, my Dad took me up to the doctor's house and trained me on how to work.  Together, we mulched flower beds.  My father taught me to work on my knees.  If you're sitting down, Mrs. Chadwick might look out and think you're not working.  He also taught me to work steady instead of working in hard spurts and then resting for awhile:  "When Mrs. Chadwick looks out the window, you want her to always see you working!"

He taught me how to start and service the mowers.  He showed me how to trim the trees and shrubs.  I learned how to put a sharp edge around their many flower beds.  And then, he turned the job over to me for the rest of the summer.  The Chadwick's paid me a dollar and hour!  I thought I was rich!

On Saturdays, I would ride my bike from my home on Brighton Heights, down through Oak Hill, across the 10th Street Bridge, under the 5th Street Bridge, up what we called "Story Book Hill", past the Country Club and to the Chadwick's.  On the way home, after working all-day, I would change my path to pass Waite's Restaurant where I would splurge on a hot-fudge Sundae!  It seemed to taste better because I bought it with my hard-earned money!  Sitting in Waite's made me feel big!

Mrs. Chadwick (and her daughter, Joan) would always invite me in for lunch on Saturdays.  They would have a table set for me in their kitchen.  They used china settings with multiple pieces of silverware.  I was nervous about eating properly.  Mrs. Chadwick and Joan would stand and watch me eat.  The food was always different from what I ate at home, but I enjoyed it. 

I continued working for the Chadwick's until I left home for college at age 17.   I am grateful to them - and especially to my Dad - for the opportunity to establish a strong work ethic as a young boy!